Kindergarten Writing Practice Tips

It's normally quite challenging for most Kindergartners, especially boys, to differentiate their lower-case "p," "b," "g" and "q's" while learning how to write.

For boys, their fine motor skills development may not match the girls in their class. This is perfectly normal also. Let them get their wiggles out and play for an hour after school. They need time to decompress.

Organize an Easter egg hunt, by hiding little toys inside of reusable, plastic Easter eggs around the home, and yard for them to find.

Then, make sure to give them an early, balanced supper, especially at high-altitude. Afterwards, give them assorted, scented medium-point, non-toxic, Crayola markers. Use the washable types.

Ask them to practice writing those letters with you, on a sliding-glass door or large window panes.  Get a ruler to draw wide-ruled, double lines for them, with a center dotted line. It should be two inches wide, from top to bottom. Write three examples of those letters yourself, in front of them.

Remember, take it only one lower-case letter at a time, describing to them slowly and patiently where to start the letter, and describing how to form it. Put a smile on your face and sound kind, cheerful and confident. Think of an indulgent grandmother, and try to be similar to one during this writing practice.

Next, hold their dominant writing hand and help them write it together with you three more times. Then trace that letter three more times for them to fill in at their pace. Reward them with praise, hugs and a small, stevia-sweetened treat.

In order to help them learn how to write those challenging lower-case letters, it just takes daily time and practice. Try to hire an experienced, patient tutor for them, if you don't have the time, so they can practice those lower-case letters everyday, for at least fifteen minutes. Each child is their own unique individual, with their own pace for developing attention span and fine motor skills.

Their private tutor should be a former primary school headmaster/principal, with at least twenty years experience in your school community, and be of your child's gender, ideally. He/she should know about developmental differences between genders and have realistic, empathetic expectations.

Another possibility is to stitch white burlap with black yarn. Use the child-friendly, plastic needles, from online educational catalogs.

Other activities that may help them, is forming the letters from:

Moldable, wax wikki sticks

Fuzzy, colorful, craft pipe cleaners

Dyed macaroni noodles to glue into a stenciled letter that you outline for them

Or, to help them in general:

Fine motor skills activities such as private piano lessons for three years, once a week for an hour with thirty minutes of practice everyday

Cutting out old National Geographic Kids magazines and making collages

Glitter glueing stenciled letters

Glow-in-the-dark painting

Coloring books

Sticker books

Martial arts, such as karate